Signature Rugrat X reviewed at Australia's Best Hybrids 2024 presented by Tough Dog 4WD Accessories

JOHN FORD — CARAVAN WORLD EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Build quality

The Signature Rugrat X stands as a unique entry at our Australia’s Best Hybrids event. Mark from Signature Camper Trailers built this prototype with young families in mind, guessing that there would be many families keen on the camping lifestyle who weren't planning hardcore offroad travel. 

Despite a sturdy construction and beefy suspension, this is more a soft-roader destined mainly for Hipcamps and caravan parks with provided shower and toilet facilities. The Rugrat X has an external shower tent that deploys from its storage box at the back of the van, but the toilet is limited to a Porta Potti that could be set up in an outside structure.

The imported body has a 25mm x 25mm x 2mm box section aluminium frame clad in fibreglass for the walls and roof; unusually, the internal walls are composite aluminium sheeting. Underneath is a heavy-duty steel chassis and independent trailing arm suspension with locally installed specially tuned Tough Dog 4WD Suspension shock absorbers. 

Front and rear scrub bars protecting the lower sections of the body add an authoritative dimension, while a ladder to a sturdy-looking roof rack speaks of a practical side and adds valuable storage for water toys and other equipment. 

All the electronics are high quality, and I liked the internal joinery's neat installation and attention to detail. Even with add-ons like the scrub bars, ladder and roof rack, the tare weight has been kept to a little over 2000kg, which shows an appreciation for keeping weight down, which is sometimes overlooked in this market sector.

Ease of use

The Rugrat X shows refreshing attention to keeping things simple. The full-height design means there’s no pop-top to contend with, and the lack of a fold-down rear bed reduces setup time considerably. The trade-off is the loss of an internal ensuite, but this is a deliberate choice for a van destined for caravan park living. 

The external kitchen is well designed, quick to set up and easy to use. The full-length awning is also intelligent thinking and works well to add weather protection to the outside space. At first, I thought the gas heater was a bit fiddly to set up, but it grew on me, and the ability to draw water from an outside source is a real bonus. 

Little things like the front entry and driver-side windows for the children's beds to keep the noise down were clever for getting them off to sleep at a reasonable time. I also liked how you can set up everything quickly at the end of the day after a long drive.

Customer care

Signature has a loyal following on its Owners Group and excellent reviews online and our experiences over the years have been positive and reaffirming. The Facebook page is very active and surprisingly open and with quick responses to concerns.

The warranty document is clear and gives good advice on servicing, but it does not reference Australian Consumer Law as it should. It is important that buyers are made aware of their rights under ACL in the warranty process. However, it's a bit of a surprise that the warranty is limited to 12 months for the build. The five-year chassis warranty is in line with nearly all imported hybrids, though. The warranty is not transferable. 

Components excluded from warranty include canvas shrinkage, zips, batteries and materials and components not manufactured by Signature. Instead, they are backed by the Supplier OEM Warranty through Signature Campers. As for most manufacturers, misuse of the hybrid due to water crossing above floor level, impact damage and neglect of known damage are excluded.

Signature's website has a knowledge base with a valuable generic owner manual and specific details on service schedules. The Signature HQ is based in Sydney, with dealerships in Newcastle (NSW), Caboolture (Qld), Adelaide (SA), Perth (WA), Victoria and the north island of New Zealand, with service agents around the country.

MALCOLM STREET — CARAVAN WORLD FIELD EDITOR

Value for money

Signature’s Rugrat X is something of a surprise, particularly among the ABH contenders. In many ways, it is quite a simple family van, one where the manufacturer has stepped away from the more common layouts and produced something different — a van with fixed walls, no pop-top roof and no end extension.

First impressions are that the Rugrat X is much more like a caravan than an offroad hybrid. However, its width of just 2.3m (7ft 5in) gives clues about the latter. As do other features such as the 150mm (6in) railed chassis and drawbar, independent suspension, side brush bars and Cruisemaster DO35 hitch.

There has been some effort at cost savings in the Rugrat X design. The largest and most obvious is that the hybrid doesn't have an internal bathroom. At the other end of the scale, the wheels are cheaper steel rather than the more standard alloy. That said, the Rugrat X doesn’t lack for much. For those who might like a shower, an external one fits on the rear wall. It has an aluminium roof and tent walls and is assembled in double-quick time. The portable gas water heater also hooks onto the back wall.

There are both internal and external kitchen facilities. Inside, there's a Dometic 135L compressor fridge, microwave oven and a stainless-steel sink. There's enough benchtop space for a portable induction cooktop. Outside, the slide-out kitchen has a four-burner hob and a stainless-steel sink.

A feature I liked is the TOYTUF 180 Degree Awning. It has the usual under-awning area plus triangular extensions at both ends — an effective way of extending the shaded area.

With a base price of $54,990, the Rugrat X is very much designed for a family on a budget with its double bed and triple bunk layout. Since it's a van that would be at home in a caravan park or a national park with facilities, how much could be shaved off the price by removing the offroad features and just using standard road suspension? Either way, I reckon that Signature's Rugrat X is a desirable proposition. 

Towability

What grabs the attention is that the Rugrat X is a relatively small van with an external length of 5m (16ft 4in). It has a tare mass of 2060kg and an ATM of 2700kg, making the Rugrat X an attractive towing proposition for many tow vehicles, including some found in the driveway of the family home — no need to buy a particular tow vehicle. 

In terms of the hybrid’s offroad ability, although it does have a DO35 hitch and independent suspension, it sits pretty close to the ground. It’s more of a rough road van than offroad but I don’t see that as a particular disadvantage given the lack of a bathroom and the market the Rugrat X is aimed at.

Having a relatively light tare mass and a payload of 640kg, the Rugrat X doesn’t require a heavy-duty tow vehicle. However, given this is a family van, there will be extra bodies in the tow vehicle, and, consequently, more gear (like bike racks on the Rugrat X drawbar), considering the GVM and payload of the tow vehicle is recommended.

During our tow test, the Nissan Navara, with the judges on board and the hybrid semi-loaded, handled the van very well. Neither the van nor the tow vehicle were loaded to their limits, which is a good safety feature and makes for a much more relaxing drive for everyone.

As a general comment, environmentally speaking, we all need to tread a little more lightly when we travel and make a bit of effort to shed weight, both payload and fixed items. The Rugrat X design may well be one of achieving that. 

TIM VAN DUYL — CARAVAN WORLD CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Innovation

There is a lot going on in the Rugrat X that stands out as unique and innovative, from the layout with its triple bunk and double bed to the lack of an internal stove and the external ensuite arrangement. The external ensuite and lack of an internal stove (there is an optional, portable induction hotplate) might jump as negatives but they are examples of what stands out most about the Rugrat X. More on that in a minute.

The layout of the trailer is simple and innovative — kids at back and parents at the front with the door at their feet. It's a flip of the more common layout and has been done to both give the bunks as much headroom as possible but also put some distance between the door and bunks with mum and dad as a roadblock. The central kitchen's sole focus is storage, both dry and cool, with one of the biggest fridges seen in a trailer this size and a layout that gives the kids and parents some privacy. The use of aluminium internal cladding is another family-friendly choice, done with mud, water and the impact of toys in mind; it is a tough playpen on wheels. 

The external kitchen and entrance to the trailer are both low and kid-friendly to get them involved in meal preparation and lessen fall risks around the door. 

All of us judges were impressed by the rooftop storage box that, although adding height when towing, adds space and capacity perfect for swags, bikes and water toys. The use of a quality TOYTUF 180 Degree Awning is clever for its added shade and easy set up; I’d bet my house we’ll see the concept ‘borrowed’ by other manufacturers in no time. 

So, the external ensuite and lack of internal cooking, both things that almost every trailer this size comes with standard but is missing from the Rugrat X — how is that a good thing? Obviously, this is a hybrid targeted solely at parents with rugrats of their own. They’ll do 90 per cent of their camping outside, from cooking on the slide-out kitchen to showering and of course, playtime under the awning, so the team designed a unique camper that takes out what is not needed and enhances how families want to use their campers. 

Liveability

From a kid's perspective, the Rugrat X is pretty much perfect. The parents can bring all the toys with the Rugrat X’s roof box, bike rack-ready long drawbar and decent payload. The hybrid has areas laid out with kids' play time in mind and private spaces to make your own. For mum and dad, there is security in the layout, an easy-to-keep-clean build and nothing you really don't need to keep the price and weight down.

Storage is everywhere with a massive amount inside around the kitchen especially and outside, cupboards and hatches will swallow up smaller items like camp chairs and cricket sets with ease. 

Impressively and somewhat uniquely, there are no beds or mattresses to fold out, extensions to labour over or roof to pop so it's a real three-minute affair to pull up and get to bed. 

The awning sits high on the side of the trailer, meaning some travellers might need a boost and the rear ladder to access the roof cage will not be for everyone — but this hybrid is targeted at adventurous young campers. I gave the ladder a go and had confidence in its construction and felt there were plenty of grab handles — if you are lucky enough to see a Rugrat X at a show, give it a go. 

With no external fridge it’s good the internal one is 135L and even better that it’s positioned a bit away from the kids, opposite the entrance, so sneaking in for a refill shouldn't upset anyone already put to bed. When the kids are up, they’ll appreciate the low-set benches in the kitchen. It's rare to see a bench where kids can be part of the action. 

With a setup time shorter than the time it takes most of us to lace up a set of shoes and a layout that allows for playtime with the added security of the fridge and door being away from the kids' zone, it’s clear what the Rugrat X is designed to do and that's get kids camping quickly — and it does it with ease. 

ALLISON WATT — CARAVAN WORLD DEPUTY EDITOR

Self-Sufficiency 

Signature designed the Rugrat for families who predominantly like to stay in caravan parks and holiday resorts, and it took feedback and suggestions from customers on board during the design process. 

As a result, the Rugrat doesn’t have an internal bathroom, given that caravan parks and other on-grid locations have amenities. Inside there’s a microwave, a Dometic 135L upright fridge and a little kitchenette with a sink and enough bench space for a kettle, toaster or induction cooktop. It has full 240V and mains water connectivity so once you pull up on your site, plug in and hook up, you’re ready to go. 

The standard Rugrat comes with 200W of roof-mounted solar, a deep cycle 100Ah battery, an Enerdrive ePRO battery monitor and 20A 240V charger for very reliable 12V setups. Add to that combination 200L of freshwater and two 9kg gas bottles and you could comfortably camp off-grid for a few days if you wanted to be adventurous.

At ABH, we judged the Rugrat X off-grid package which includes more Enerdrive equipment including a 40A DC-DC charger, 200Ah lithium battery, external solar input and 40A AC charger to boost its self-sufficiency while off-grid.

Bathroom needs are taken care of with an external aluminium opening shell shower tent with wet and dry rooms — the latter of which can house a Porta Potti. Hot water is via a portable instant gas hot water setup which saves weight and space.

X-Factor

Designed for young families and kids — hence its name — the Rugrat X really delivers on its promise.

The internal living space is something to behold — a queen size east-west bed for the parents and good-sized triple bunks for the kids, as well as somewhere to sit and watch television and do some indoor food prep if required. Add to that some pretty generous internal storage in the way of cupboards and drawers.

Being a full-sized hybrid van, there is no top to pop and no beds to fold out, so after a long day of driving you can pull up at camp and put the kids to bed without any effort whatsoever. For a lot of families, that’s a game changer.

The TOYTUF 180 Degree Awning provides additional shelter for the external kitchen and for a family of five to dine protected from the elements. 

And for those families who like to take a few toys away on holiday, there’s a rack for two bikes on the front drawbar and roof storage for lighter items such as swags and kayaks on the roof, accessed by a ladder at the rear.

This Rugrat X is a hand-built prototype not yet in production, and the Signature team had thus far travelled about 4000km to various caravan shows around the country to gauge feedback from the public. With an ethos of creating a camper that is lightweight, affordable and easy to set up, I reckon they’ve hit the mark. 

SIGNATURE RUGRAT X SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Signature Rugrat X price from $54,990

OPTIONS FITTED

• Rugrat X off-grid package
• 200Ah Enerdrive B-Tech lithium battery
• External solar output
• Enerdrive 40A DC-DC charger
• Enerdrive 40A AC charger

Signature Rugrat X price as shown $59,990

MORE INFORMATION

Signature Camper Trailers
3/11 Sefton Road
Thornleigh NSW 2120
P: 1300 935 400
E: office@signaturecampertrailers.com.au

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